Pages

Monday, 11 August 2014

Must-have: Debbie's Inferno by Anne Emond

Listen up folks: Anne Emond's comic for Retrofit is now available to pre-order, and you're all going to need it. Emond's been making comic strips for a while, and is probably best know for her Comiques- quintessentially sardonic, witty, black and white strips largely centered around the Emond persona, which somehow also manage to be warm and relate-able. One of my main problems with a lot of auto-bio is it's so self-indulgent, but Emond's work never feels like that -probably because it doesn't actually read as auto-bio- her persona is very much an exaggerated character, and thus acts more readily as a reader interface. Her comics deal with the everyday, people observing, doubt, insecurity, life situations, with humour and intelligence, paired with her unique perspective.

Her comics are, to me, very classically British in feel- due to some of the facets discussed (the sarcasm), but also her art style, which is reminiscent of British children's book illustrations and cartoonists. Emond is one of those creators I selfishly despair over: of not having more work out or in print; she's produced a few, short printed collections of Comiques, but all have quickly and long been sold out, so this is a rare opportunity to grab something of hers and familairise yourself with the work of a superb cartoonist.

The Retrofit book (cover of which above, and a couple of preview pages below), looks excellent, it's titled Debbie’s Inferno, and is her venture into a lengthier comic narrative, following protagonist Debbie as she's led through her own personal Hell, with its various The book is 36 pages long and will be shipped out in early September If you're signed up for the Retrofit subscription, you're sorted, but if not, you can pre-order it here.